The Washington critic., 1887-12-31
SEALING AND FISHING.
Joseph Chamberlain 10 Compromise the
Claims of England,
CLOSING OF THE BEHRlNG SEA.
Sacrificed for the Sake of the
Dyers in London.
Special coreqpondonco wAsnlyarov cnlrlc.

Special Correspondence wAsmyeroN Cgtrtc.
Says the San Francisco Ercting Post of re-
cent date, When Joseph Chamberlain the
English legislator, was sent to thbi country
TO meet the Fisheries Commission and to
arrange an amicablc settlement of the fish
cries dispute, he was also clothed with power
TO negotiate about the Alaska seal question
It was supposed that when he reached this
country he would insist ON the Bchring Sea
being declared open, and would back IN
with equal persistency The claims Of the
Canadians on the other side.
II is understood, however, that he has in
struclions from the British Government to
s0critice, If necessary, tile clnims oi the fcw
private sealers who send out schooners from
Nictoria. He will do this in order that the
English companies and artisans may cou-
tinuo TO control the business of dyeing and
preparing the skins taken by the Alaska
Commercial Company on the American side
Of the Behring Sea and the firm Of Hutch
inson, Kohl, Philippeus u Co. on the Rus
sian half
QUEER DicgER.
In other words, the British Government
will acquiescc in mutually understood, if
unwrittcn, bargain, by which the Bchrng
Sea will be declared an inland water if, in
return, the London dyeing. establishments
arc assured steady work. The small hand
full of private sealers will be disregardcd.
The preparation of the scnlskin for COM
mercc Is far more difficult and expensive
operation than is generally supposed. Every
year the Alaska Commercial Company has
100000 skins TO dispose OF. The number cap
tItred annually by the Russian monopoly Is
variously estimated at 10000 TO 60,O0U. pri-
vatc sealers from this city and Victoria and
the catch In other places swell the number
considerably, 40 in all IL " estimated that
about 100000 skins are produced annually
in tho world. Over thrce-fourhs of these,
and, in fact, ~ many us scvcn-cighths, pass
to the market through tic city. They all go
TO London, and immcn,c establishments are
in operation, at which the fur is dyed from
the auburn color TO the rich brown; hairs
arc removed, and the skins are cured and
made up into wearing apparel.
All these industries give employment to
| thousands of skilled wOrkmen, and though
the preparation is claimed 10 be secret,
factories could easily he established in this
country, closing down the English shops.
THE srruAroy DESCRIBED.
These considerations arc potent with the
English statesman and public The stua.
ton is easily described. on one hand
England and English capitalists and work.
men will lose employment if the sea i.
! declared open, ana dozen schooners, en-.
| ploying perhaps 200 men, will have the
privilege OF scaling These schooncIs, too
| will come from remote province. On the
other hand if the sea is admitted to be
closed, the vast establishments in London
will be maintained In action, but these
! same dozen schooner owners will be left
out in the cold, and will hardly undertake
! the perilons business of stealing in defiance
| of the orders of the United States Govern
~ ,la Of
Aside from the sealing question, Eng.
| land has no interest whatever in the
| Bchring, and Mr.. Chamberlain Is cautioned
| that no principle is at stake in insisting that
| the sea be open, after the sealing question
| has been disposed of satisfactorily. Other
| foreign nations, except Russia, have no in.
| tere.ts whatever in either the Arctic or the
| Behrng seas. The Russians maintain that
| their half of the sea is closed, and back up
| the assertion by the presence of several
swift cruisers. Their claims are not dis
| turbed
| II has been suggested that this concession
on the part of Mr., Chamberlain will secure
others from the American Commissioners,
and that the regulations as TO fishing in the
! Canadian waters ON the Atlantic side will be
| made more stringent than the New England
| fishermen will fancy. In that event many
| of them will send their fishing smacks
| around the Cape to explore and develop the
| extensive cod banks in the north Pacific.
| Anticipating trouble with the Canadian
| cruisers, many of the cod fishers will be cN-
| lrcmcly chury in their movements on the
| Eastern side, and in fact the owners have
already dispatched five schooncrs from Glou.
cester to the north Pacific. These vessels
| will make the season ir company with tho
| small ilcet from san Francisco, and make
| their headquarters here.
| PRIVATE sEALEHs mGIlrs.
The local private scalers, who last year
sent out some twenty schooners, do not
relish the evident intention of the British
Government to 20 into dicker over the dis.
position of private scalcrs rights They
hoped to reap the benefit OF decided stand
by Mr. Chamberlain, who they were conf
| dent would insist TO the last on the right OF
British schoonurs, and consequently any
schooaers to kill seal in Alaskan waters
As mattcr Of fact, many Of the schooners
| which left Victoria last year under the
| British flag, were owned and cquipped by
, residents of this city. The schuOnels hailed
| from Victoria because il was supposed that
| the English Government would give ample
protection, and, also, because Secretary
| Bayard released the British schoonera seized
| during the preceding year Now all
| that the scalUfs can depend upon
| Is favorable decision in the test cases mend.
| ing In the United States District Court and
| in the Sierra case, ut present before the
| United States Circuit Court at Boston, Mass
| The District Court of Alaska has already
taken IL decided stand against them. Should
| the other courts do the same, private sealiug
| will be invited to the Pacific in the spring ul